The chief of Visit California — a state tourism organization — will be taking on two new roles, chairwoman and interim CEO of Brand USA.

Caroline Beteta, president and CEO of Visit California, will immediately take over as temporary chief of Brand USA, a public-private partnership between the travel industry and the federal government to attract more international tourism. She will start her one-year board chairwoman position Oct. 1, the beginning of the federal fiscal year.

Beteta was appointed to U.S. Department of Commerce’s Corporation for Travel Promotion when it was created in September 2010. That group in turn created Brand USA.

Her first task is to find a replacement for Evans. Meanwhile, Beteta will continue in her role with Visit California, which oversees California’s $50 million tourism marketing efforts.

Beteta said she is honored.

“Brand USA began as just an idea a little more than a year ago, and I have been fully committed to its long-term viability and success, and remain committed to those goals today,” she said in a statement.

Brand USA was created as a result of the Travel Promotion Act of 2010. Its funds are private-sector contributions matched by fees paid by international travelers; no taxpayer money is used to fund Brand USA.

— Mark Anderson, June 26

Music Circus ticket sales up

Ticket sales have been brisk for “Grease,” the first musical in this year’s California Musical Theatre’s Music Circus summer series, which began Tuesday night in the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

The rest of the season includes modern shows like Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” as well as summer staples such as “The Music Man,” “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Crazy for You.”

As of Tuesday, 16,575 of 17,576 tickets had been sold for “Grease,” which runs through July 1.

A few tweaks to this year’s season seem to be working for the theater company. The Music Circus has seen a 34 percent jump in subscriptions this year over last summer.

Two major changes were made to the schedule. First, the season was cut from seven shows to five. And rather than the performances running nonstop, there is now a week off in between shows.

That change helped the Music Circus surge to 8,800 subscribers this summer, up from 6,569 last summer.

Shaving down the number of shows decreased the cost of Music Circus subscriptions, which likely attracted more takers, said Richard Lewis, executive producer of California Musical Theatre.

— Mark Anderson, June 27

Building association seeks new chief

The North State Building Association is recruiting an executive director to replacing retiring John Orr, a 26-year fixture at the organization.

Orr joined the Sacramento-based group in 1986 after three years with a builders’ group in San Antonio. He is retiring at year’s end. The goal is to get a new chief on board in October to provide a transition.

But he can’t give up that easily. Orr plans to devote about 20 hours per week to the North State Building Industry Foundation, a nonprofit that conducts workforce training.

This recession has clobbered the building industry, and membership in the organization fell from a peak of 1,050 to 420 today. Orr said that did not factor into his decision to retire. “This was a planned thing,” he said. “I didn’t want to work beyond 75, and will be four months away from that at the end of the year.”

A search committee is recruiting a new chief executive. About 30 résumés have been received from across the country.

Whoever comes in has big shoes to fill. “John has provided stellar service,” said John Norman, manager of Brookfield Land in Roseville and an association member.

His longevity in a high-pressure position is a testament of Orr’s ability, Norman said. “This is an industry of individualists, and John has had to weigh all those things. His demeanor is very thoughtful, and he listens to all perspectives. The last five years have been the toughest, and he has stepped up and come up with the right way for our organization to thrive in the future.”

The building industry association had about 500 members when Orr started, and primarily consisted of local builders. Public companies started joining in the 1980s, and membership grew. The association started two nonprofit groups during his tenure, HomeAid, which constructs shelter for the homeless, and the BIA’s workforce development foundation.

Born in New Jersey, Orr was ordained a priest in 1964 and served in parishes in Texas while earning a master’s degree in counseling. He resigned from the priesthood in the 1970s, but remains an active Catholic. He met his wife, Janine, while working in the mental health industry, and had three children. He is a member of the California Homebuilding Foundation Hall of Fame.

Orr has been actively involved with the Los Rios Community College District since the late 1980s, and is a private pilot.

“Most of all, I’ll miss the people,” he said when prompted. “I can’t think of a better way to have spent my final career.”

— Sanford Nax, June 22

Boutin Jones taps managing shareholder

Swanson, 50, is a business trial lawyer who has practiced for more than 20 years. He’ll continue his litigation practice during his term as managing shareholder at one of Sacramento’s largest law firms.

The firm has added Iain Mickle, a corporate and securities lawyer, to the board to replace Swanson.

A full-service business, real estate and litigation firm, Boutin Jones has more than 40 lawyers and more than two dozen staff members.

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